She laughed. “How’d you end up in Drum, anyway?”

“My car broke down and Wyatt towed it into town. I started working at the tavern because you were gone and I was flat broke. Figured I could make enough money to pay for the repairs, but it ended up being too expensive. I ended up staying because I had nowhere else to go.”

“That explains how you hooked up with Wyatt. Half the girls in this town would like to start something with him. Maybe he was lookin’ for something different.”

If she knew about his recent romantic relationships—or apparent lack thereof—maybe she knew about past ones too. “I heard he dated Ruth years ago.”

“Really?” she said, sounding excited. “I had no idea.”

“Do you know anything about anyone else he dated?”

“Shouldn’t you be askin’ Wyatt these questions?”

Her question stoked my anger—but not at her. And not just at Wyatt either. I should never have opened myself up to someone who refused to do the same. He’d had plenty of opportunities to let me in. For him to keep such much information secret was unconscionable, especially given the fact that I’d told him about all of the men who’d used me in the past, Jake first and foremost among them. He had to know how much it would hurt me. Why had I tolerated that?

When it came to Wyatt, I couldn’t trust myself—which meant I’d do best to remove myself from the situation. “You’re right, Lula. He should be the one to tell me. You’ve helped me make a huge decision. Thank you.”

“I did?” she burst out in shock. “Wow.”

“Now, about Bingham,” I said, realizing I was running short on time. “Why was he watching you like he was?”

Her voice shook. “He thinks I know something.”

“He thought I knew something too,” I said. “And he tried to bully and intimidate me, but I stood up to him. And you can too.”

“No. We need to let it go.”

“Maybe we should go to Max with this. He can help you. He helped me.”

“No!” she shouted in panic. “You can’t tell Max.”

“Why can’t we tell Max about Bingham?” I paused, then asked what I’d been wondering since I learned she was expecting. “Is Bingham your baby’s father?”

“I’m not talkin’ about this,” Lula said. “Please, please, please don’t tell Max!”

The worry in her tone caught me off guard. Was she afraid of Max? “I won’t. I promise.”

“Thank you,” she said, collapsing into the seat. “Thank you.”

We were quiet for a moment. Then she pointed to a turnoff up ahead. “Turn there.”

I turned left onto a snow-covered one-car lane that snaked through a narrow gap in the trees.

“I can get out and walk from here,” she said. “I’m scared you’re gonna get stuck.”

“I don’t feel right leaving you here, Lula. You haven’t been home for a month. At least let me walk with you to make sure everything at your house is okay.” Especially after what she’d said about scavengers.

She shook her head. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I was gonna walk home anyway, remember?”

She went to open the door, and I asked, “Are you taking prenatal vitamins?”

“What?”

“I’m going to Greeneville tomorrow. I can pick some up for you, if you like.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You would do that for me?”

“I suspect they might not carry them at the Dollar General. This way you’ll be set. And I won’t give them to you in front of Max or Ruth, so no need to worry, okay?”

Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you, Carly.”

I thought about her being out here all alone. I suspected Todd Bingham knew where she lived, regardless of whether they’d had an affair. “Hey,” I said as an idea popped into my head. “How about you grab some stuff and I’ll take you home with me.”

“Why?”

“I’m worried about you being here all alone. You could stay with me and Hank tonight, and we’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You’re living with Hank Chalmers?”

“Yeah,” I said, confused at her reaction. “Is that a problem?”

“I’m fine,” she said, but she opened the door as though her pants were on fire. “Thanks for the ride.”

She was already out the door when I called after her. “Lula! Wait!”

She paused with her hand on the edge of the door, ready to close it. Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Lula, are you afraid of Hank?”

She shook her head vigorously. “No. I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Lula! Wait!” She hesitated again, and I said, “I’d like to be your friend. I want to earn your trust. If you’re scared of someone, I can help you. I want to help you.”

She smiled, but her chin trembled. “I’m fine. I’m not scared of anyone. I want to be your friend too. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Then she shut the door and hurried down the lane.

Chapter Six

I waited until she was out of sight, then backed up and headed to Hank’s. The roads were getting slippery, and the drive up the mountain toward White Rabbit Holler was treacherous in some spots. But I slowed to a crawl and drove carefully, relieved when Hank’s mailbox finally came into view.

At least until I saw Wyatt’s truck parked out in front of the house.

I parked the car, and Wyatt was out the front door before I reached the front porch.

“I was about to go after you,” he said. “I worried that you might have run off the road. What took so long? I called Max and he said y’all left the bar almost an hour ago.”

“What are you doin’ here?” I demanded.

He looked taken back by my sharp tone. “I didn’t feel right about how we left things.”

“You mean you didn’t like that I called you out on your bullshit.”

He looked properly chastised. “Carly…”

I shook my head. “No. No more excuses, Wyatt. If we’re really going to start a relationship, then we can’t have these big secrets between us.”

“You don’t understand—”

I held my hand up to stop him. “No, I don’t. And if that’s your only answer, then you should just leave.”

I started to walk past him, but he wrapped an arm around me and tugged me back.

“Carly.”

My resolve began to weaken—his touch tended to do that to me—but I knew I had to stand firm. I couldn’t let my good sense be overruled by hormones. Pulling free from him, I said, “Let me go, Wyatt.”

“Will you please let me explain?” he pleaded, sounding panicked.

I put a hand on my hip. “Will your explanation include any of the answers I want?”

“I want to talk about what happened between you and Bingham first.”

He was changing the subject again, but I’d address this giant elephant before shifting back to the main topic. “It’s simple. Todd Bingham does what he wants, and he treats people like shit for fun.”